Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
Researchers surveyed 680 people who followed health-food accounts online. They measured eating behaviour and orthorexia nervosa symptoms with the ORTO-15 questionnaire. Higher Instagram use was linked to more orthorexia symptoms, while other social media did not show this effect (Twitter showed a small link in exploratory tests). About 49% of…
Many children and teens do not get enough sleep. Studies link use of screens, especially in the bedroom or in the hour before bed, to later bedtimes and less total sleep. Experts have set sleep-hour ranges for each age. Research also links short or disrupted sleep to emotional, behavioral, and…
This study followed 4,285 U.S. children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study to look at patterns of addictive use of social media, mobile phones, and video games from about ages 11 to 15. The researchers found that high or steadily increasing patterns of addictive use were common. Those high…
This systematic review and meta-analysis looked at studies from 2013–2023 that tested 'digital detox' interventions and their effects on mental health. The authors screened 2,578 records and included 10 studies. Pooled results showed a small but statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms (SMD = -0.29; 95% CI -0.51 to -0.07;…
Researchers interviewed 16 teens who frequently used public libraries to learn how they experience anxiety and what digital tools might help them. Teens said they felt loss of control, unpredictability, and anger from anxiety and used tools like breathing exercises, journaling, and mood tracking. They viewed libraries as safe places…
